Shattered Memories
by The Pandemic Named Boredom
Summary: How do you remember someone you treasured so much in the past... and yet forget? How do you treasure a moment in the past long lost and forgotten? How do you piece the puzzle of the past, realizing a very important piece is missing?
1. Prologue

_Prologue: How it All Began_

(Kiba's POV) – Evening, January 11

"_H-h-heeeeeelp! Put me down!!!" a familiar voice shrieked. I heard her scream and ran towards the voice. A bunch of guys were bullying my friend, Hinata. I wasn't surprised. Those guys would harass Hinata any time as long as they had the chance._

"_Put her down." I said. The guys made faces and said, "Oh, look. It's her boyfriend." They shook Hinata as she blushed and ducked her head._

_I shrugged at their comment._

"_I _said_; __**put her down**__." I threatened. The guys mocked me (oh how I __hated__ them) and hissed:_

"_Or else, WHAT?" They laughed._

_I called for Akamaru. He quickly came and I whispered a few words to him._

"_Is this a joke, kid? You brought your PUPPY?" They laughed again._

_Akamaru growled._

"_Ready?" I asked Akamaru._

_He barked angrily._

_I charged after the 2 guys holding Hinata, while Akamaru went after the other guy and bit him._

_I punched one guy's stomach, releasing Hinata's left arm._

_The man holding Hinata's right arm took out a gun and pointed it at Hinata._

"_Move; and I'll shoot her." He hissed._

_Hinata kicked the guy's shin, causing him to bend down, giving me the opportunity to launch a solid blow in his face. Akamaru fetched the gun that fell off the man's hand and Hinata backed away a safe distance. Akamaru handed me the gun and I pointed the thing at him._

"_I know how to operate this thing." I threatened._

_The men scrambled in all directions and ran for their lives as I ran to point the gun at them._

(Hinata POV)

_"You're the best, Kiba." I giggled._

_He ran his fingers through his hair and gave a wide grin._

_"I know." He boasted._

_I rolled my eyes and sat on the soft snow, leaning on a tree. Kiba sat beside me and put his hand on my shoulder._

_"Hinata,"_

_"Yeah?" I smiled._

_"You should really learn self-defense more. I mean… what if I weren't there to help you? What if someone took you to a place where no one could hear your screams while a person does something bad to you?" Kiba worriedly_

_I thought about how horrible things could happen… I shivered and placed my legs closer together, mainly because of the cold._

_Kiba shifted _really_ close to me._

_"It gets really cold these times of the year." Kiba smiled._

_I blushed; I could feel the warmth of Kiba's body because of his distance from me._

(Kiba POV)

_"Uhm… by the way, Hinata… why didn't you allow me to go after those guys? You wanted them to learn their lesson, right?" I asked_

_"Those guys were badly injured already. I think they've learnt enough." She worriedly said._

_"What the hell do YOU care about their health, Hinata? They embarrassed you! You're just gonna let that pass by?!"_

_"Its not that I _really_ didn't want to get back at them for embarrassing me… its just…"_

_"Just?" I impatiently asked_

_"They're also people, Kiba. They might have been bad a few times or so… but they can change. I want people to live realizing that they CAN do good things. They only need a little push to be good; or, in our case, a little discouragement from doing bad. People change. And they deserve to change for the better. They deserve to be given a chance." Hinata sweetly smiled._

_I was amazed by Hinata's point of view on things. Her compassion. Her forgiveness. I was speechless._

_"_Few_ times being bad to you?" I ironically asked._

_"Fine. _Several._ Happy?" Hinata rolled her eyes._

_We both giggled. Hinata rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers._

(Hinata POV) – Almost Midnight

_As I stare at the midnight sky, the moon reminded me of Kiba, he lights up dark situations. So far he was the only one who had accepted me as a friend. I was very socially… rejected. As I think about the person beside me… Kiba… he has done so much for me… my only friend._

_I only noticed now… that it was very late at night already, and my parents would be worried sick over me right now. I stood up, waking up Kiba._

_"Uhm, Kiba… its very late at night already and…uhm… my parents are probably worried sick right now. I have to go." I said_

_"Hey… uhm… Hinata… could I walk you home? I mean, if you don't mind or anything…" Kiba asked me._

_Even in the darkness, we could see each other blushing._

_"Uhm… aren't _your_ parents worried about you, too?" I worriedly asked._

_He shrugged off my question._

_"Anyway, let's go." he suggested._

_I blushed when he wrapped his jacket around me._

_"Uhm… Kiba? Won't you be cold?" I asked._

_"As long as you're not, I'm fine." He answered._

_My blush turned deeper when he said that._

_As soon as we got to my house, I hugged Kiba._

_"Thanks for everything. You really _are_ the best." I told him._

_I got in my house and shook off my jacket. I heard Dad call me from upstairs. His tone of voice was firm and serious._

_I nervously opened the door and sat down._

_"Y-yes, Dad?" I stuttered. I was worried if I did anything wrong… and Dad was strict about rules._

_My father sighed._

_"I heard you got attacked a few moments ago. Are you alright?" He worriedly asked._

_"I-I'm fine, Dad… and it wasn't really an attack. It was merely…uhm…"_

_"Harassment." He interrupted. I blushed and slowly nodded._

_" But they didn't go _that_ far, Dad; my friend saved me before they could do anything serious." I smiled._

_"But WHAT IF he wasn't there to rescue you? You need more protection, my daughter! You are the only heiress to the Hyuuga Family!" he firmly stated._

_Dad and Kiba's comments were similar. Meaning they mean it. I need more protection and self-defense._

_"I am setting you on curfew, Hinata,"_

_I gasped on the inside, hoping he wouldn't notice it._

_"You cannot leave this house from dusk until dawn. In addition to that, I am assigning your cousing, Neji Hyuuga, to be your bodyguard and to help you learn self-defense. He will be with you at all times when you are out." Dad announced._

_My previously blank and shocked face turned sad. Kiba and I usually met at night. The sky is beautiful during the night… and… I don't really know Neji that well… I guess this is about time we get to know each other…_

_"Am I clear on this, Hinata?"_

_"Ah… Y-yes, Dad." I muttered._

_I slowly rose from my seat and reached for the door._

_"By the way, Hinata… pack up all your things. We'll be moving to your uncle's place the day after tomorrow."_

_I clenched my fist and tried to hold back my tears and forced out a smile._

_"Yes, Dad." I tried saying without letting my tears out yet._

_I ran towards my room, got in, slammed the door behind me, and sobbed on my pillow._

_All I thought about was Kiba. How would I meet him once we're separated by thousands of miles? Who would protect me from people who will do bad things to me? And most importantly… who in the new village would accept me as a friend?_

_The tears I shed soaked my pillow. I didn't care. My whole world was revolving around Kiba, my only friend. The person who accepted me, the person whom I shared millions of moments and memories with… gone…_

_As I packed up my things, I thought of how to explain this all to Kiba the next day. Even though I practiced the words over and over again in my head, it always made me cry, and it never comes out right. Because… I just didn't want to say them at all._

(Kiba POV) – The next morning

_I slowly crept out of bed and took a bath. I slipped on the thickest clothing I could ever find in my closet and sat on my bed._

_I yawned, still not knowing what to do for this day._

_"Hinata…" I whispered to myself. I couldn't stop thinking of her. I needed to see her._

_I scrambled out of bed and ran to the place where we both met yesterday, hoping she'd be there_

_I gave out a sigh of relief as I saw Hinata sitting peacefully on the soft, white snow._

_I sat down next to her._

_"Hey." I greeted her._

_"Oh… uhm… hi!" she smiled._

_Hinata giggled._

_"If you're here to see if I'm being attacked again… I'm fine." She gave an innocent smile._

_We laughed together._

_"Actually…" I faced away from Hinata._

_"I came here… just to see you…" I noted._

_We both blushed… and then I cursed myself for embarrassing Hinata._

_"Oh… u-uhm… y-yeah… th-th-thanks." She shyly replied._

_I smiled at her, staring at her innocent, purple eyes._

_"Uhm… Kiba… I've got something to tell you…" She frowned._

_"What might that be?" I asked._

_She looked down so low that I couldn't see her eyes._

"_I'm leaving this village, Kiba." She stuttered._

_I didn't know if she was joking or anything… until I saw tears drop from her eyes._

"_Why, Hinata? Aren't I enough as a friend for you? Do you want to leave me that badly, Hinata?" I worried._

"_N-No, Kiba! I wouldn't want you to think of that! I'm happy with you, Kiba… I-It's just that… there's something our family has to settle. And we couldn't exactly do that here. I-I'm s-sorry, Kiba" she replied._

_I gave out a sigh of relief knowing that I was enough of a friend for Hinata. But I was speechless. I didn't want to let go of Hinata. I wasn't sure if I could live a day without her._

_Hinata suddenly hugged me and sobbed harder._

"_Oh my god, Kiba… I'm not ready to leave you yet. I-I'm s-so sorry. I don't want to leave you. I want to be with you always, Kiba. I feel content about my life when I'm with you. I-If I could… I'd stay with you forever……"_

_I started getting my eyes teary as I took Hinata in my arms._

"_I-I don't want to lose my only friend, either, Hinata. I-I don't want to let you go. I-I'm not ready for this. A-And I never will be. P-please, Hinata… PLEASE don't leave me alone here." I sobbed_

_She dug her head in my shirt even more as she said the words she knew she would regret her whole life._

"_I-I can't, K-Kiba… I h-have to d-do th-this…" she cried._

_Her words made my world stop. If I knew she was to leave, my life would have no meaning. I… couldn't say anything._

_Deafening silence followed for a long time. Hinata and I had run out of tears to shed._

"_K-Kiba… I p-promise… I'll come back for you as soon as I can." She assured me._

"_A-And I'll always be waiting for you." I replied, holding her tighter in my arms, knowing it'd be a long time before we could do this again._


	2. Secret Past

So here it is. Chapter 1. ^_^ I hope you all enjoy it. School's coming (oh noes) and I will probably write slower than usual. T_T Please forgive me!!!

With that part over with... please try and find time to review this story. Tell me if you hate it? Love it? I'd really appreciate that! ^_^ =)

Okay... so here it is. ;) Enjoy! =))

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Chapter 1: Secret Past

**(Hinata's POV) **– Several years later

I sat on my bed, my arms around my legs, staring blankly on the wall of my room.

My mom knocked on my door and slowly opened it. She smiled sweetly and came inside my room. She slowly slid the curtain off the window, and let some light in my dull, grey room.

"It's a really nice day, Hinata… Would you like to go with me to buy some groceries?" my mother asked.

I sadly smiled, and shook my head.

My mother always had wanted me to go out into the sun and play like the other kids do... and interact with other people and stuff… ever since we moved here. Though, she never actually _was_ successful. I never actually wanted to leave my house. I was too afraid that I was too weak; if I ever had an encounter with an accident, or even an opportunistic illness. I believed I was too weak to support myself and I could die any time right now…

"I'm going now… Is there anything you want? I'd buy it for you." She asked.

I shook my head and smiled once more.

She sighed and gave me a smile back and left the room. I heard her footsteps going out of the house.

I slowly stood up and walked towards the window. I saw two kids happily playing outside. How I _wished_ my life could be as simple and happy as the lives of the two children outside.

I sat back down on my bed as I tried to recall on why I'm even living my life so weakly… so helplessly…. And so… uselessly.

_--------------------------flashback--------------------_

_It was several years back then… I was twelve, and to decide what was to become of me as my teenage years will come. We were supposedly going to my cousin's father's house to decide many things… what would I do as the heir of the Hyuuga family, who will I marry and where would I finally permanently live. I didn't like the thought of it… mainly because I didn't like being controlled and such… but I didn't have a choice. I was part of the Hyuuga clan, and I was the eldest daughter of the Head Family. And I knew what was the decision of Father… it would be followed._

_But… halfway in the journey to my cousin, Neji's house, I got a very high fever. I was brought to the hospital and was confined there for nearly a week._

_When I was discharged, and finally arrived to the destination, we were greeted rather… differently than expected…_

_I knew I was to blame, though. I sighed disappointedly._

_"You're late… In fact, _1 week_ late." Dad's brother, Hizashi, hissed._

_I saw a boy, probably about my age, come out of the hallway. He had the same eyes as I had, particularly long hair, and I smile on his face… I wasn't really expecting him to smile, but, I better pray that he'd be nice._

_I smiled back at him and he giggled._

_"What took you so long? We thought you'd never arrive." Hizashi furiously asked._

_Dad worriedly glanced at me and sighed._

_"Let us not talk about that topic here." He replied._

_His brother led him to the living room, where they could talk privately. Mom explored the unfamiliar village with Hanabi, while I sat on the floor with Neji._

_"So…uh… if you really don't mind me asking… what really happened?" Neji worriedly asked._

_"O-oh… uhm… I… I had a really h-high fever and I was confined for about a week. I…I'm sorry I had you waiting for that long… I-I should've—"_

_"Don't blame yourself too much." Neji giggled. Probably because I kept on stuttering._

_Neji was nicer than I'd thought. I thought _all_ Hyuuga's were supposedly strict, rule-bound and well… not really mean, but… yeah… strict._

_I smiled back at him as he patted my shoulder._

_He sighed._

_"Eh… it's getting reaaaaallly boring. What do you say we do something?"_

_"Like what?"_

_He scanned his eyes across the room and paused at the living room door. He suggestively raised his eyebrow as I slightly gasped._

_"W-what?! Wouldn't t-that b-be…"_

_I knew exactly what he wanted to do—eavesdrop._

_"Oh you worry too much. They won't mind!" He winked._

_"E-eh… I-I g-guess so…" I stuttered._

_"C'mon!" He grabbed my hand leading me to the closed door of the living room. We both placed our ears on the door._

_The voices became clear as we heard their conversation._

_"What could we do to your daughter?! She's obviously too weak!" judging from the tone of voice, I could tell that was Hizashi's._

_My eyes grew wider._

_"She is not weak, Hizashi. She has just caught an illness due to the winter cold. We could not possibly put such an impossible blame on her, now can we?" I heard Dad's calm voice._

_"You came here to discuss her future, right? How can we even give her a future if she gets sick and injured so easily all of the time?! She couldn't attend most of the meetings, the appointments… anything that the position of 'heir' would throw at her!" Hizashi angrily replied._

_"That is why I am requesting for your son, Neji, to be Hinata's temporary bodyguard." Dad replied._

_"What are you talking about?! I am NOT willing to offer my only child to be the _pet_ of your helpless daughter." Hizashi hissed._

_"My daughter is _not_ a helpless animal. And if you agree to my offer, Neji can also help Hinata train and become stronger physically." I could hear irritation in Dad's voice._

_"I still reject the offer. I even bet that your daughter would _die_ before legally becoming an adult." Hizashi announced._

_I heard a chair screech across the floor and a loud thug on the wall._

_"Do NOT speak of my daughter like that. Underestimate her again and you _will_ pay." Dad threatened._

_I presumed Dad was almost starting a fight… I couldn't _stand_ Hizashi and Dad fighting this way… and moreover, I couldn't stand them fighting over something about me._

_I reached for the door when Neji held my shoulder. He shook his head as if telling me to stop._

_"Hinata. These are things we shouldn't really meddle in. I think its best if we just keep listening, but we shouldn't interrupt in things that are best when left behind." Neji stated._

_I nodded and sat down again, inching my ear nearer to the door this time._

_"I'm not underestimating your daughter. Let me show you something."_

_I heard feet shuffle across the floor once more. A round of deafening silence followed._

_The eerie silence was followed by slight, quiet sobs._

_"I-I c-can't believe it. This c-can't be true." I heard dad cry for once in my life._

_Then I heard papers flutter down on the floor._

_"They _are_ true. They're the health profile the hospital wrote as soon as Hinata recovered from a fatal illness when she was 7. You weren't there, so I wasn't expecting you to remember. There were two copies supposedly sent to you and me. I…I burnt the one supposedly sent to you for this reason. I… I didn't want you to lose hope of Hinata just because _I_ did." I heard Hizashi's voice calm down._

_I heard Hizashi sigh sadly._

_"Hiashi, I'm so sorry… but--"_

_"There were so many things Hinata wanted to do. I was always so strict to her. I trained her everyday for she was to be the heiress of the Hyuuga family. I should've shown her more care… more love. She deserved a _father_. Not a teacher. She deserved so much more. She doesn't deserve… me…"_

_I started sobbing, too. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I tried my best not to make any noise._

_"Hinata…" Neji worriedly said._

_"I…I'm fine…" I stumbled across my words, which were the opposite of what I was truly feeling._

_"What has Hinata done for _this_ to happen to her?! _I_ should be punished! Not her!!!" Dad sobbed loudly._

_I sobbed louder as the tears I shed grew more._

_"I-If… If Hinata doesn't deserve to live… t-then neither do I."_

_Chairs screeched once more. Footsteps were approaching the door_

_"Hiashi… do you mean… are you going to…"_

_Dad shrugged and opened the door. He intently looked at me, partially shocked me and Neji were listening, and then ran towards the bathroom. I chased him there but the door slammed in front of my face._

_I banged the door all I could._

_"DAD! P-please open the door!!!" I begged, now slamming the door with my fists._

_I slowly ran out of energy and fell on my knees, crying harder. Neji came and rubbed my back in attempt to comfort me._

_Hizashi kept banging the door even harder._

_"What sort of nonsense is this, Hiashi?! Do you know what actions you are showing in the face of two children here?!"_

_I heard something metal fall on the floor. I… I assumed he… cut himself._

_"DAD!!!!!!" I screamed all I could, but sadly, he had already done… it._

_"Why are you stopping me f-from doing t-this? I… I h-have no more p-purpose in this w-world. H-Hinata… I g-guess when you f-finally arrive in your final resting place you'd be in the opposite place of where I am… Hell."_

_"Hiashi!" Hizashi yelled, banging the door harder and harder._

_"…"_

_"DAD!" I yelped, choking on my tears._

_… No answer_

_I sobbed as I couldn't speak anymore._

_"Hiashi! Answer me!"_

_Hizashi banged the door one last time. The hinges of the door broke and the door… fell._

_The sight gave me a mixed feeling of intense shock, disgust, sadness and anger._

_Dad lied on the floor; cold and dead, soaked by a sea of blood. His wrists were slit. I glanced at the kunai beside him and sobbed harder._

_I choked on my tears once more, let Neji take me in his arms and cried on his shoulder._

_As Mom and Hanabi arrived they almost fainted at the sight. Their tears almost became waterfalls as they saw the death of a beloved one._

(the night the same day)

_I flipped over and over in my bed. I couldn't sleep at all. The thought that my dad was dead crept in my mind and haunted me. The fact that _I_ was the cause of his death made all my feelings weigh on me much more._

_The door in front of me slowly creaked and opened._

_I saw Hanabi. Her eyes were red and sore from crying. And I knew that she, too, couldn't sleep._

_Hanabi sat on my lap, her eyes watering._

_"Is… Is D-dad r-really gone?" she asked._

_I couldn't answer. Nodding and saying yes would make me feel worse… and Hanabi would cry so much again. But then… if I lied to her…_

_I slowly and regrettably nodded._

_As the tears welled up to my eyes once more, I took her in my arms as we sobbed on each others' comforting shoulder._

_"H-Hinata… p-please… don't leave me alone l-like Dad d-did… I… I'm scared…" Hanabi stuttered._

_"I won't leave you for anything, Hanabi. Dad… He didn't leave us… He'll always stay with us… I know that… I believe in him. Do you, too, Hanabi? Do you believe in him, too?" I held her shoulders._

_"Y… Yes, Hinata. I believe in Dad." She smiled softly and dug her face in my neck._

_I smiled sadly back at her._

_She soon drifted to sleep on my shoulder._

(the next morning)

_"Hinata! Hanabi! Wake up!" I heard Neji call out me and Hanabi's name and shake us out of sleep._

_To my surprise… Neji had his eyes watering…_

_"N-Neji… what happened?" I worriedly asked._

_He led me out of my room, Hanabi slowly trailing behind me._

_Mom was beside Neji, also softly crying. I didn't know what they were crying about—_

_Hanabi screamed beside me._

_I simply gasped._

_I saw it there… We _all_ saw it there… Hizashi was dead… a rope tightly gripping his neck, and a stumbled wooden chair below him._

_There was a piece of paper on Hizashi's hand… a note probably? Mom grabbed the piece of paper._

_"Mom… w-what does it… say…" I asked mom._

_She closely read the letter… then she started crying, too. She dropped the letter and I picked it up._

_The letter read…_

"My dearest Neji, Hinata, Hanabi and Fuyuko…

I am very, truly sorry that I chose to leave all of you here. I love all of you _very_ much and I regret leaving deep scars in your hearts but I cannot bear it… I just can't bear living in this cruel world anymore… I can't keep living. I know it shouldn't end like this… And I know I took the wrong path… But I am… weak… My feelings overwhelmed me. I couldn't find my will to live. I couldn't bare to see any of you die anymore…" _I knew he was referring to me… _"Please live all of your remaining lives to the fullest… and don't waste it like I did… for I _am_ a foolish man. Please forgive me. Do not… in any condition though… follow my path in life… Please forgive me.

_Hyuuga Hiashi_

_P.S.: Hinata… I'm so sorry about what I said the other day… You are _not_ weak. In fact… to face this world without giving up… you're a very strong girl, Hinata. Perhaps I was wrong anyway. I love you, Neji and Hanabi. Please truly forgive me…"_

_I took Neji's hand and put the letter in it. I hugged him tightly and ran to my room._

_My eyes were sore and dry. As I fell on the floor, sobbing… I thought I had no more tears to cry… I was wrong… I managed to squeeze out some more._

_I felt a herd of emotions trample me. I felt tremendously guilty… I just _had_ to leave Mom, Hanabi and Neji crying because of myself. Hiashi and Hizashi gave up on life because of _me_. Me, me, me. I felt like the whole world _hated_ me. Me entire use in my life so far was to make everyone miserable… I hated myself. I wished I'd never existed. I wanted to _die_. To leave this world where I left many hearts broken… and lives lost._

_A few months went by and I considered suicide… and I figures not to. I tried cutting myself a few times… but I never even made the metal pierce my skin. I tried hanging myself once… but I never had the guts to even wrap the rope around my neck._

_I giggled unusually when a thought came across my mind…_

_"Hizashi thought I was _strong._ I don't have the will and strength to live… And yet I don't have the guts or even the courage to… what do I do then with my life?!" I mumbled to myself…_

_I then figured… why would I commit suicide… I've scarred _enough_ hearts in this world… I couldn't bare hurt any other person's feelings anymore._

As I reminisced the thought… I also figured… it was Hizashi's last will for us to live our lives to the fullest. I also promised Hanabi that I wouldn't leave Hanabi in this cruel world. I promised to her I'd be with her at her side.

Right now… we live back in Konoha, right where we started. Mom said she wanted to have a 'fresh start'. We run a small bakery here. Hanabi and I went to school and graduated.

Today… at this moment I am sixteen. Two years more… comes the… _time_; and I haven't even completely fulfilled Hizashi's last will yet: _Live your life to the fullest…_ I couldn't scratch the thought off my mind. It literally haunted me. I only had two years to fulfill that wish. And I never knew how and _where_ to start.

I shook the thought off my head. I went down to the bakery and refilled the shelves.

_Is this all my life will hold? Will anything change? Will I ever complete Hizashi's last will to me? Will I… live my life to the fullest, and prove my existence worthy and useful?_

**(Kiba POV)**

I leaned on a tree, exhausted, wiping off some sweat with the sleeve of my shirt.

My eyes widened as I spotted the kunai approaching my chest. I snapped out of my daze as I quickly jumped. I sighed, relieved. I thought for a moment I'd die for spacing out.

_God… Akamaru _had_ to be sick today…_

I launched a hard blow on the man's stomach, knocking him out.

As soon as I got home, I fell on my bed, extremely tired. I tried to relax and rest… but my mind drifted to another thought…

_Why the hell did I have to fight so much again?_

The thought fluttered in my head. I tried to search my head for those days… _back then…_

_--------------------------Flashback----------------------_

_I was fourteen… everything in my world surrounded one person… honestly… I don't remember her that well anymore. I forgot her name, a lot of what she looked like… and a lot of things… but a few things were unmistakable of her. She smelled of sweet lavender. She was gentle, kind, forgiving… but most of all… she was quiet._

_Ah… the things I remember about her. The days I spent with her were my happiest. She balanced my personality very well. I was proud, rash and violent. She was humble, sweet and caring. She stopped me when I was about to hurt someone… she tended to my wounds when I was injured… I protected her when she was being bullied… We really turned out to be the best of friends…_

_But then… I figured… I think I _liked_ her… As in _more_ than a friend…_

_I still clearly remember a part of that morning. A moment which changed my life. That morning…_

_"Uhm… Kiba… I've got something to tell you…" She frowned._

"_What might that be?" I asked._

_She looked down so low that I couldn't see her eyes._

"_I…I'm leaving this village, Kiba." She stuttered._

_I didn't know if she was joking or anything… until I saw tears drop from her eyes._

"_Why? Aren't I enough as a friend for you? Do you want to leave me that badly?" I worried._

_…yes… that morning… it shattered almost my whole life… I wanted to spend an eternity with her… I was supposedly going to confess to her my feelings. But as she said those words… she was going to _leave_ me._

_The only things I remember after that was we hugged each other, vowing to wait for each other as we promised we'd meet again._

_As I watched her leave… she smiled at me one last time as I stood up, waving my last goodbye._

_I ran back home, trying to hold back my tears as I didn't want to be seen crying in public. I could barely hold it in anymore… so as soon as I got through my front door and slammed it behind me I literally broke down._

_I wiped off the last of my tears as I thought of her again… her face was all I could think of._

_"I'll always be waiting for you. _Always_." I whispered._

_I heard feet shuffling hurriedly across the next room. Then I saw Hana just behind the corner. I looked at her questioningly at why she was running around like this… then I saw the expression her face made…_

_Her face was sweaty, nervous and worried. Her hair was a mess. Then she looked at me with _those_ eyes… They were the sad, worried eyes that Hana only used when…_

_"Hana don't tell me…"_

_"Yes. He's back in jail." Hana sadly sighed._

_… Dad was in jail. Ever since mom died in an accident… Dad had been in a state of depression. He tried his best to keep his mind away from Mom, but he just couldn't do it. So he resorted to the worst… he started getting drunk and gambling._

_Dad got into a LOT of trouble while he was drunk. He got into fights a lot. Most of them started by him. Sometimes the trouble he caused was so severe he even got caught by the police a few times; and we used the last of our little money to bail him out._

_Because of his reputation for trouble-making, he got fired from his old job and couldn't get in any new jobs. And so, he used his last resort – he committed robberies and blackmails to meet me and Hana's needs._

_At first me and Hana fought with Dad with this decision. We thought we could still make a better living. But in the end we still got shot back to where we started. I also started acting a little like Dad, too. I regretted this, but losing so much in my life… crime seemed to take my mind off _her_… so I helped Dad commit his robberies. Hana would heal us when we got into fights. We knew what the hell we were living on was crappy and wrong. But it was the only choice we had._

_As soon as we got a little more money than we needed to sustain ourselves, Dad sent me and Hana to school. School was great for me and Hana, but we learned the consequence it did to Dad when we got home one day…_

_…he was lying there… cold, bloody and half-dead. Hana screamed. I thought that if I were there to help Dad this wouldn't have happened. Hana tried to heal Dad as much as she could but I knew it was no use anymore. As soon as we got home and saw Dad, he was seconds from dying already._

_"Hana… It's no use." I sadly sighed._

_"No… there must be a w-way, Kiba! NO!!!" she still tried her best but it was obvious her chakra lingered extremely low that she fainted. I started crying all over again, wondering how much of my life can be lost already. It seemed like life was taking away things from me one by one… first it was Mom… then it was _her_… and now… it was Dad… I started sobbing as I thought of who might be next._

_As soon as I turned eighteen, I was free to act however I wanted… I wasn't a minor anymore. Though, I still lived with Hana._

_When Hana wasn't with me, I would get drunk and gamble. I felt really bad for myself. I felt like a photocopy of Dad. I figured it would also get my mind off her. But when I got really drunk I would get into fights. Then… I remembered that whenever I started a fight, _she_ was there to stop me. She was there to tell me what was wrong and what was right. She was my conscience… no… she's my living angel._

_One time, though… another unfortunate event occurred. I was drunk again. Then I got into a fight where I crippled the man I fought with. I was arrested._

_I panicked inside. Hana didn't know about my whereabouts. She didn't know I got drunk every night, fight all the time… and now I was arrested. If she found out about this… she'd be worried sick. Plus the added fact that we were totally broke and in HUGE debt considering Dad's debts when he gambled and we bailed him out of jail…_

_I sat in my cell for only thirty minutes so far…_

_I heard a familiar voice enter the door. It was… Hana. It was obvious she was trying to hold back her tears._

_"Kiba…" She sadly sighed. She made my guilt a whole lot worse._

_"You can go out now, Inuzuka. You're free." The policeman went in the room._

_My eyes widened. She bailed me…. But… but… we were totally broke and even in debt! How could she have got enough money to bail _me_ out?!_

_The policeman opened the metal door. I walked outside with her and looked at her._

_"Hana… you didn't have to-"_

_She suddenly wrapped her arms around me and starting sobbing softly._

_"Kiba… y-you're my brother and I care about you very much. I'd do anything to be the best you can. Here isn't where you belong, Kiba. You can do much better than this. I trust you…" She smiled at me, her eyes sore and filled with tears._

_"But Hana… how did you get so much money in so little time?" I asked her._

_Her eyes locked down with her feet, her tears falling down on the soil beneath._

_She tried to force a smile despite her heart telling her to cry her eyes off._

_"That doesn't matter Kiba… all that matters is-"_

_It all came to me now. The only way a feminine could get that much money in such short notice was…_

_"You sold your body? Your dignity and innocence? For MY sake?! You shouldn't have done that, Hana!" I yelled._

_I had so much guilt inside me now that tears welled up to my eyes._

_"I told you Kiba… it doesn't matter. You're MY responsibility and I do whatever I can to help you. You're my brother. And I love you." She hugged me tightly again._

_"No… Hana… I'm just a useless mutt who gets into trouble just because he feels bad. I'm not worth anything. You gave up something that's…"_

_I couldn't find my words. Why would she care about me so much? I was useless. I was just a weight on her shoulders. She could've done MUCH better without me._

_"…you traded something very valuable and important to you… for a worthless piece of junk like me?! Why are you doing this to yourself, Hana?"_

_"YOU are the most important thing in the world for me. I'd do anything for you, Kiba. You're my brother." She smiled then as we sobbed in each others' shoulders as we kept on repeating 'I'm sorry' to each other._

_Soon people started demanding the pay to their debts. Being completely broke, we couldn't pay them. Hana found a job soon but then she had to leave Konoha to work as a waitress for some sushi restaurant._

_"Kiba… I have to leave already. Be sure not to drink and/or gamble anymore, okay? And don't cause any more trouble." She waved her finger in front of my face._

_I chuckled and put her finger down._

_"Okay, Hana. But you be sure not to got into trouble yourself, too, okay?"_

_"Since when have you seen me get into trouble, Kiba?" She teased._

_"Okay. Fine. Take care, okay?" I waved at her as she left._

_Things were going pretty well. Hana sent me money from time to time then I distributed the small amount of money to the people who we had debts with. But soon people started getting impatient. They demanded for their money. Threats that some people gave me if we didn't pay the whole thing already. Some of those threats turned into attacks and capture orders. That's when I had to fight a lot._

Ah... there. I remembered. The thought wasn't pretty, though. I had to return a fairly large amount of money to one man in two weeks already. He had sent about 5 capture attempts this week already. I might as well give it to him already…

… but how? There weren't any decent jobs open… and the next time Hana would send me money again would be a month from now. So… I figured I'd just rob a place… just for now. I knew that Hana told me to stay out of trouble, but I told myself…

_"Only for now… only for now…"_

As soon as I got up I went out again, searching for a place where I could steal money fairly easily and quickly.

I passed by a bakery… It was fairly new around here, so I guess they wouldn't have a really tight security.

I read the sign… It said it was owned by Fuyuko Hyuuga and Hinata Hyuuga…

* * *

Phew. That was hell of a chapter. It took me weeks to write this. Fine, fine. I know I'm slow... ='( But I tried to make it as good as I could. =))

Did you enjoy it? Is it nice? Do you hate it? Please tell me. =) I know you can see that button below. You know you want to press it. ;) _(actually I want you to press it, too! please? =D)_

So... see 'ya 'till next time. =)) This time I'll try to write, type and update faster. ^_^ Take care! =)


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